Digiwei

When was the last time you used Yelp?  Last weekend?  Yesterday?  Maybe even today?  You’re not alone.  Yelp averages 184 million unique users per month.  People all over the world rely on Yelp to help them find businesses and make decisions about where to eat, where to shop, and even where to get their teeth cleaned.

In fact, Yelp has become such a popular and useful online tool that even Google considers Yelp a reliable data source “frequently used by real people who are looking for businesses”, and favors Yelp profiles in search results.

What does that mean for you?  It means you need to have a business profile on Yelp!

No matter what kind of business you have, claiming your profile on Yelp is vitally important for a number of reasons:

  1. You should be in control of the information available about your business.
  2. A Yelp profile is highly likely to come up in search results when someone is looking for your product or services.
  3. Having a Yelp profile boosts your local SEO rankings.  

Luckily, finding and claiming your Yelp business profile is pretty easy.

Let’s go claim your business.

Step 1

Check to see if your business profile has already been claimed.  Just go to Yelp.com and search for your business name.  See what comes up.

Step 2

Did your business show up in the Yelp search results?  If so, click on it.  If not, find the red button that says “Add a Business” and click that instead.

Yelp Search Results

Step 3

Has your business been claimed?  Look next to your business name.  There will either say “Claimed” with a blue check mark or “Unclaimed”.

Claimed:

Unclaimed:

Step 4

If the profile is Unclaimed, click the link that says “Unclaimed” and it will take you here:

From there, either log in to your Yelp business account (if you have one) or create a new account.

Step 5

Once you’ve logged in, you will be asked to verify your business by a phone call or text.  Choose whichever option is best for you.  Note: the number must be the one associated with your business profile.  

Step 6

The phone call or text message will give you a verification code, which you’ll need to enter on the verification page.  This will prove that you’re the business owner, and then, tah dah!  You’ve claimed your Yelp profile!  Congratulations!

Tips for Maintaining a Healthy Yelp Profile

  • Make sure you keep your Yelp business account access information in a safe place.  If someone else in your company set up the profile, either have them transfer it to you, or make sure you know exactly who claimed it and what email address they used.  
  • Has your business profile already been claimed?  Ask around your employees to see who might have claimed it, then ask them to transfer ownership to you.  If you have no idea who might have claimed your profile, contact the Yelp support team.
  • Set reminders to review your company profile every quarter.  Has your phone number or address changed?  Are you offering new services?  Update your profile accordingly so that your information is always correct.
  • Keep an eye on any reviews you get.  Respond to reviews, positive or negative, so that Yelp users can see that you’re active and care about your customers.
  • Check out some of the paid features, like the Call to Action or Yelp Deals, to enhance your profile and gain new business.

Remember, claiming your Yelp profile can only help you.  You’ll be able to control the content and respond to any reviews that customers leave.  Plus, having a Yelp profile will help increase your visibility for local SEO.  And, if you run into any issues, we’re always here to help!